Three In The Morning (Humanstuck GamTav)
by Azurne
Summary: Tavros Nitram has transferred to a private school where he meets Gamzee Makara. Feelings develop, old rivalries are dug up, and the two boys are stuck in the middle of it all. (Rated M for language and eventual violence) *Cowritten by Azurne and Stardonyx


== Be Tavros ==

Tavros rounded the corner of the block, wheeling along the sidewalk as he made his way to Condesce High private school, which he could now see standing tall in the distance. It had been a relatively short but dreary walk for the first day of school. Rain fell lightly on to the soaked stone of the sidewalk, forming small puddles that weren't very convenient for Tavros to wheel through.

The sky could not seem to decide on whether it wanted to be clear or cloudy, reflecting Tavros' questionable mood. He could not place a finger on if the twisting feeling in his stomach was excitement or just his nerves getting to him. He was so excited to finally see a very good friend of his, Nepeta Leijon, whom he was separated with after elementary school. They had been able to remain in contact over the internet, but had not actually been able to see each other for three long years.

Tavros had been applying to go to Condesce High ever since he started high school, but now, in his final year, he was accepted. He almost squealed with joy when he got his acceptance letter, and immediately went and told Nepeta. Ever since then, Nepeta hasn't stopped talking about Condesce High, filling Tavros in on almost everything he needs to know. He was well prepared, yet at the same time it didn't feel like he was at all.

Now, in the heat of the moment, he realized that there really was no preparing for this. He was going to an entirely new school with entirely new people and a foreign environment. Tavros could not predict what would happen next, and was starting to get anxious about what was next to come. A certain thought that he had been dreading was seeing an old… "friend."

Vriska Serket, the subject of Tavros' nightmares to this day. When they first met back in Tavros' early years of elementary school, Vriska and him were very good friends. The two of them, along with Nepeta and another friend would often go FLARPing out in the woods behind their neighbourhood. It was one night that Tavros and Vriska were facing off on a steep hill, when she unexpectedly ran at Tavros and pushed him down the hill, knocking the breath out of him, and sending him tumbling helplessly down the hillside. He could remember barely even being able to make out his surroundings at the speed he was going until it all came to a sudden, abrupt stop, and was accompanied by a sickening crack. Tavros doesn't remember anything after that moment, only waking up in a hospital, unable to feel anything below the thigh. After that, everyone had stopped talking to Vriska. They held her responsible for the incident, even though Tavros personally did not. She had blamed Tavros for the loss of her friends, and from there on out only teased and harassed him. One thing she was responsible for, though, was Tavros' horrendously low self esteem. At such an early time in his life, she had left a mark on Tavros with her vicious behaviour toward him, resulting in Tavros being insecure with every little feature he had. He could only hope that she had completely forgotten about him by now.

Tavros was brought back to reality by a splash of a puddle soaking the bottom half of his dark black jeans. He had been absentmindedly wheeling toward the school that was now just infront of him, towering over him and his fellow students, making them look like ants compared to its lofty size. Condesce High was famous for its population of intelligent and highly skilled students. It was well respected nationally and ranked very high in the top schools of the United States.

Tavros was so proud to finally be going to this school. It meant he had actually accomplished something, and that all of his hard work had paid off for once. He took one last glance at the prestigious school and continued into the swarm of students all walking toward the building's large main doors. He veered left out of the chaotic crowd to reach the base of the service ramp, which Tavros could already see proving to be yet another challenge. He could never seem to go a day without a few problems here and there. Small streams of water trickled down the ramp, favouring the crevices as a faster way of travelling. The paraplegic's wheels would not grip this surface very well, but he was forced to try as he certainly couldn't wheel up the steps. He attempted to roll up as quickly as he could, working his biceps hard, until he began losing ground almost as quickly as he had been gaining, and ended up right back where he had started.

Frustrated, Tavros ran his fingers through his black fohawked hair, letting out a short sigh. He set his hands back on the wheels of his chair, ready to try once again, when he heard a loud squeal of excitement followed by a high-pitched scream of what Tavros recognized as his name. Shortly after, he was almost flying up the ramp, to stop abruptly at the large oaken doors. His chair was turned around swiftly to see the excited face of Nepeta Leijon, but only briefly, as she immediately tugged him into a tight embrace before Tavros could even say a word.

"Tavros, it's finally happening!" exclaimed the overly excited girl as she finally released Tavros from her grip.

It had been so long since he had last seen her that he had almost forgotten how she looked. She was quite short compared to Tavros, even in his wheelchair, though she was very fit. He remembered her telling him that she had been able to get in to Condesce High due to her athletic prowess. The athlete had joined every team she possibly could, and often complained about having to deal with the conflicting times of practices and games. She had always looked younger than everyone else with her small round face and just being generally shorter than the rest. Her olive skin had become more tanned over the last three years, Tavros guessed it was because she was outside so often. She had very long black hair, though almost always had it tied back, unless it was for a special occasion. She stared at him expectantly with her piercing green eyes, waiting for an answer.

Tavros broke out into a wide grin, unable to contain his joy.

"It's been way too long," answered Tavros, with an even wider smile than before.

"Oh, far too long, I agree!" Nepeta giggled and fixed the strings on her blue cat beanie, turning her head toward the now open doors leading into the main hallway. "I believe we should get inside now so I can start showing you around. Since we both have biology first, we can share a locker! You'll love it here, it's so nice!"

Nepeta continued to babble enthusiastically as she wheeled Tavros through the halls, stopping every now and then to point out a certain area. The pair came to an eventual stop at their now shared locker, Nepeta allowing Tavros the bottom half to store his belongings.

"Well if it isn't Tavros," rang a condescending voice from behind, lengthening the boy's name, knowing it would bother him all the more. "It's been so long, you must have missed me."

"Hey, uh, Vriska…" said Tavros sheepishly.

"You don't look very excited to see me," sang the smirking girl, stepping closer toward him. "You'd think after three years of not seeing this face," she rested her two hands under her chin innocently, "you'd be absolutely beaming."

"I'm, uh, not too sure what y-"

"Oh, please, Tavros, don't even start. I can't stand your stuttering already." Vriska shook her head impatiently.

"If I'm not interrupting," Nepeta started, "Tavros and I should really start heading to our class now."

Nepeta turned around only to bump into a very tall boy, who leaned against the locker next to him. Tavros had to look up to be able to see his face. Something about this boy made Tavros a little anxious.

The boy whispered something inaudible to Nepeta, then glared at Vriska who Tavros noticed was more annoyed than before. She ended up turning on her heel and leaving without saying another word.

"Karkat? No, I haven't seem him yet today. I'm sure he's around somewhere." Nepeta looked apologetically at the boy. He stopped leaning on the locker, about to walk away when Nepeta started almost shouting with excitement.

"I haven't seen Karkat, but I have seen Tavros!" She pointed at Tavros, tiny in comparison to the other boy. "Gamzee, this is Tavros. Tavros, meet Gamzee."

"Hi, uh, nice to meet you." Tavros smiled timidly, he couldn't help but take the opportunity to inspect the taller boy. He was very tall, Tavros guessed 6' 6. He was quite thin, but well built, and was rather pale. His hair was swept neatly across his forehead bearing a dark raven black colour. His clothes consisted of loose blue jeans and a fitted black jacket. Tavros' eyes wandered upward and noticed two bright violet eyes glaring out from the lengths of his side-swept hair, locked on Tavros. He blushed apologetically, as his eyes quickly darted away. He couldn't help but stare. There was something about this boy that Tavros found oddly intriguing. Though Tavros had relieved his own stare, he could still feel the taller boy's eyes on his. His blush turned several shades darker.

Nepeta cleared her throat and glared at Gamzee. Apparently she had been talking the entire time Tavros had been exchanging glances with the other boy.

"Gamzee, are you even listening to me?" Nepeta had a tinge of frustration in her voice. "Hello? Are you zoning out again?" She waved her hand frantically infront of the taller boy's face until she finally got his attention.

"I said I think I saw Karkat in the cafeteria," exclaimed the small girl.

Gamzee whispered something close to a thanks under his breath, stretched his muscles, and started in the other direction lifting his hand and giving a slight wave.

Tavros still felt slightly uncomfortable from the encounter, but shrugged it off.

"That was odd, even for him." Nepeta frowned curiously. "I can assure you he isn't always like this...maybe he's just tired, it is the first day back after all." She fixed her frown into a determined smile patting Tavros' shoulder lightly.

The bell blared through the halls as the next class began, startling Tavros quite a bit, making him jump in his wheelchair. He could hear Nepeta giggle behind him, and he sported a cheeky smile.

"Alright Tavros, let's head to biology then, this should be fun." Nepeta grinned from ear to ear, eager to start the day.

== Be Gamzee ==

Weak beams of sunlight struggled to peer through the grey stratus clouds. A light breeze rustled the golden leaves of the tree he was propped up against. A stray leaf fluttered down from the rest of the bunch, influenced by the breeze to land atop the boy's head. As he lifted his hand to pluck it from his long, sideswept hair, his eyes fixed on a handicapped boy in a wheelchair who seemed to be struggling with the wet service ramp beside the school doors. Gamzee began to walk toward the boy to help when he noticed Nepeta rush to him, hugging him and then assisting him up the ramp.

Nepeta must know the boy well to be so touchy with him. How had Gamzee not seen the boy before if the two of them were so close? He knew practically everyone who went to this school, so how had he not known him?

Nepeta wheeled the boy through the doors, and out of Gamzee's line of sight. For some odd reason, something about this boy sparked his interests, and he felt compelled to find out more. He followed the two through the halls, keeping a safe distance away so Nepeta wouldn't be able to see him. While peering around the corner of the science hall, Gamzee was approached by a short lanky boy with faded red hair. His brow was furrowed as his dark red eyes pierced into Gamzee's soul, or so it felt.

"Hey, fuckass, what are you doing? You look like a total creep, I don't think I've ever seen you in the science halls before." The small boy punched the taller's arm trying to get him to acknowledge his presence.

"Karkat, how 'bout you all up and motherfuckin' calm down, can't a guy walk around the halls without being pestered by a short angry kid?"

"Just who the fuck are you calling ki-"

"Shhhhhhh." Gamzee pressed a finger against the smaller boy's lips, and pushed him aside. "I've got shit to do, motherfucker. I'll see you later, brother."

Karkat tried to retaliate, but Gamzee had already left his side, hurrying down the hallway to be sure not to lose track of the disabled boy. He spotted both Nepeta and the boy accompanied by the Vriska, the Wicked Bitch of the West. He had a bad feeling about what was going to result of this conversation, and started to walk closer. He could faintly make out parts of their discussion, and did not like where Vriska was going with it.

Gamzee leaned against the locker behind Nepeta, waiting for Vriska to finish being the bitch she is.

"If I'm not interrupting," Nepeta started, "Tavros and I should really start heading to our class now."

Nepeta turned around and bumped into Gamzee, looking startled. The taller boy nodded a greeting to the small girl, then leaned in close to her ear and asked her if she had seen Karkat anywhere. It was as good as an excuse as any to learn more about the handicapped boy, whose name appeared to be Tavros.

"Karkat? No, I haven't seem him yet today. I'm sure he's around somewhere." Nepeta looked apologetically at Gamzee. He stopped leaning on the locker, about to walk away, thinking Nepeta would say nothing more, when Nepeta began introducing the two.

"I haven't seen Karkat, but I have seen Tavros!" She pointed at Tavros, tiny in comparison to him. "Gamzee, this is Tavros. Tavros, meet Gamzee."

"Hi, uh, nice to meet you." The small boy smiled timidly up at Gamzee. The tall boy examined the paraplegic. His skin was an olive colour looking as if he may be of Columbian or Latino origin. His black fohawked hair was shaved at the sides creating a little undercut. He had a very nice chiseled jawline and a piercing on his left eyebrow as well as two studs in his left ear and one in his right. His chocolate eyes followed Gamzee's as they scanned down to his outfit. It consisted of tight black jeans and a white shirt with a black jacket overtop. If Tavros wasn't wheelchair-bound he would most likely be fairly tall, but sadly, it seemed as though that was not going to change anytime soon judging from the absent movement in his legs. Gamzee would almost go as far to say he found the boy… cute.

Did he really just think that? God, what was wrong with him. Of course he didn't think he was cute, he didn't swing that way. He couldn't swing that way. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, eager to think about anything else, but it continued to nag him.

Gamzee raised his eyes to meet Tavros', who seemed to have been staring at him. The small boy blushed and broke eye contact quickly, but Gamzee continued to stare, making the boy blush even more. The nagging became more noticeable, Gamzee was having a difficult time ignoring it. Man, he needed a smoke.

A blurry hand found itself in Gamzee's field of vision, waving furiously. Apparently Nepeta was trying to get his attention.

"I said I think I saw Karkat in the cafeteria," exclaimed the small girl, for what Gamzee assumed to be the second time.

Prying his eyes away from Tavros, he muttered a thanks under his breath, stretched his arms lazily, and started toward the cafeteria, waving goodbye. What an eventful day so far, and school hadn't even begun yet.


End file.
